BEO.ZONE

BeoMaster 1900 / 1900.2

BeoMaster

Production: 1976 - 06/1982

Documents: Schematic, Service Manual

Beomaster 1900 (1976 - May 1980)

Out of all the products that Bang & Olufsen has ever produced, Beomaster 1900 stands far above the majority of them. There’s the famous publicity of Japanese engineers peering down inquisitively and surprisingly at this wonder of modern (for the 1970s) technology. The receiver became an excellent seller - as well as an icon for the company - and over the following decade and a half, several more Beosystems were based upon it.

The Beomaster 1900 delivered a useful 2 x 30W of undistorted sound from the amplifier within its slimline body and incorporated a radio tuner covering the FM, LW and MW wavebands. It was a good all-rounder and one who sat in the middle of the (then) Bang & Olufsen range of hi-fi products.

The receiver stood out - not just because of its smooth appearance, acres of brushed aluminum set against black bands of high-quality plastic - but by the way that the user-controlled it. Along the whole of the front top was a row of touch-sensitive ‘dimples.’  The user only had to place a finger within a ‘dimple’ for the system to acknowledge the command with an electronic ‘click’ and then spring into life. These ’sense-touch’ buttons became a strongly recognizable and memorable part of the receiver, and many customers bought the unit just because of the novelty factor.

Together with these ‘primary’ electronic controls were situated ’secondary’ (i.e., non-day-to-day) controls, hidden discretely under the sizeable full-width aluminum dampened-hinged lid, waiting patiently for use. Here one could tune in any of the five FM radio stations and adjust the bass and treble tone controls. An AFC switch was placed there too, sunk into the solid-looking molded plastic. All of these controls were slimline to match the aesthetics of the overall design of the receiver.

At the time of release, it was recommended that the Beocord 1100 cassette deck be used, although this was not an exact match for the receiver. Beocord 1900 was released a little later, together with the Beogram 1900 (later Beogram 1902) record deck when the whole system was known as Beosystem 1900.

Beomaster 1900 was subsequently replaced by Beomaster 2400 which came with its own ultrasonic remote control unit.  However, Beomaster 1900 was such a reliable seller that the production of the 2400 model was delayed for some time.

The receiver could also be mounted on the wall although its cassette deck - and the record deck - could not.

There were connections between two pairs of loudspeakers, record deck, cassette player and a couple of headphones.

BeoMaster 1900 / 1900.2 technical specifications

Types: 
2903 (1976 - Dec 1979) 
US 2904 (1976 - Dec 1979) 
US 2904 (1976 - June 1980) 
Power output at specified distortion 1000 Hz RMS: 2 x 30 watts / 4 ohms 
2 x 20 watts / 8 ohms 
Music power: 2 x 50 watts / 4 ohms 
2 x 30 watts / 8 ohms 
Speaker impedance: 4 ohms 

Harmonic distortion: 1000 Hz 50 mV DIN 45,500: < 0.07 % 
Intermodulation: DIN 45,500 < 0.13 % 

Bass control at 40 Hz: +/- 18 dB 
Treble control at 12,500 Hz: +/- 15 dB 
FM range: 87.5 - 104 MHz 

Power supply: 110 - 130 - 220 - 240 V 
Power consumption: 25 - 185 W 
Dimensions W x H x D: 62 x 6 x 25cm 
Weight: 7.6 kg 

RIAA amplifier: built-in 
Features: Sensi-touch controls 
Connections: Phono DIN 
Tape: DIN 
Speakers: 2 sets 
Headphone: jack

More Bang & Olufsen Items

The brand names Bang & Olufsen, B&O, trade mark and many of the product names and details together with on-site photographs are the property and copyright of Bang & Olufsen. The information on this website is provided only as a guide to Bang & Olufsen collectors and enthusiasts of the marque.

Jaguar History: The Century of Automotive Excellence